February Reflections

Robert McKee held his first ever Story seminar in India and like the devoted story disciple that I am, I found myself hanging on to the Guru’s every word. It was a not-to-be-missed opportunity. A crash course on the craft delivered over four, intense days. Later, I rushed back to one of my scripts and used the insights to rewrite some of the scenes, polish others and rework still others.

The rest of the month was spent on “plotting work” for a story that is currently still enveloped in a lot of mist and fog in the recesses of my mind. The process of turning a spotlight on the myriad ideas; crafting them into a story that grows, flows, engages and has a life of its own is one that can’t be rushed. As McKee says: Spend a few months on writing just three sheets — one sheet per act. His advice is to thoroughly understand the characters and the world they live in, brainstorming ideas for scenes, writing them down, scratching them out, starting again and again. Feel free to demolish your work. Over and over again. And through this process of destruction and creation, you will find your story. And onwards to March, in search of the story!